(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to line holding storage devices and, in particular, it relates to line holding storage devices which are capable of being secured at any random portion of a line, and which, when so secured, are designed to hold items thereon for storage and/or display.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, devices for securing or storing an item on a line, such as clothes pins, are only loosely attached, to the line, and tend to be pulled from the line when the load is increased on the holding device. Other devices for securing or storing an item on a line are permanently secured to the line, and/or cannot be randomly positioned on a line to store or display items. There are also mechanisms which are used in mountain climbing and window washing activities which can be randomly secured to a line, but, which generally require release of line tension and/or the movement of the mechanism relative to the line in order to release it from the line.
Devices are known in the prior art which are used to tighten a line by first securing them to a line and then twisting them to tighten the line. For example, Fly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,366, describes a line tautness adjuster designed to be placed directly upon a clothes line, or upon any other slightly loose line, and then rotated to tighten the line. A plurality of teeth along the circumference of the adjuster secures the adjuster to the line and maintains the line in taut after it has been tightened. It should be noted that if the line is already taut, the adjuster which is disclosed by the Fly patent can not be utilized since rotation of the adjuster requires that the line initially be loose. Likewise, if the line to which the Fly patent adjuster is to be secured is rigid or semi-rigid, such as a metal or fiberglass rod, the Fly patent adjuster would not be useable due to the rigidness of the rod.
Fanning U.S. Pat. Nos. 101,601; Cokely 930,533; Benbow 2,304,139; French Patent 368,760; French Patent 374,377; and Italian Patent 450,347 describe other tightening devices for stretching or tightening wires, cords, or lines.
These prior art devices would be practically impossible to use as a randomly located storage or display device, since as each such adjuster would further tighten the line, and therefore could not be added or subtracted to a line without changing the tautness of the line.
It is therefore seen that no prior art device is known to exist which provides a line holding storage device for attachment to a line for securing or storing an item on a line having a vertical, horizontal or angled orientation, which does not tend to be pulled from the line when the load is increased on the holding device. Furthermore, no prior art device is known to exist which provides a line holding storage device for attachment to a line which does not require that the line be slack prior to attachment of the device. Additionally, no prior art device is known which provides a line holding storage device which is capable of being secured to a deformable, semi-rigid, rigid, or taut vertical, horizontal or angled line. Furthermore, no prior art device is known which provides a system of line holding storage devices which can be randomly located on a line to allow a variety of goods to be stored or displayed, nor is any prior art device known which provides such a line holding storage device which is provided with a mechanism such that articles can be stored or displayed on the device. Finally, no prior art device is known which can be randomly secured to a line, but, which does not require release of line tension and/or the movement of the mechanism relative to the line in order to remove it from the line.